Born in Baldwin, Maine in 1792, Josiah Pierce graduated from Bowdoin College and moved to Gorham in 1821 to practice law and would remain there engaging in that profession until he died at the age of seventy-four.
A skillful lawyer and eloquent orator, he was well-connected both in and out of politics. He was the Judge of Probate for Cumberland County for ten years, a Town Selectman and a State Senator for three years; serving as President in both 1835 and 1836. Among his other accomplishments can be counted "A History of the Town of Gorham, Maine" which he published in 1862, four years before his death.
In 1835 he wrote his wife Hannah of his election: "You have perhaps seen that I have been elected President of the Senate...It is a post of great political power, as all the committees who transact the public business are appointed solely by the President -- it is also a place of great responsibility, and I feel that I need the wisdom from above to direct me. In point of rank, it is next to the Governor -- that is the 2nd office in the State -- I have great attention showed me -- and I hope to satisfy the reasonable expectation of all. My pay is also double that of other Senators -- I have 4 dollars per day..."